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Time for Worms to Turn

We have inspiring cathedrals, glorious churches, magnificent colleges, schools that the world want their children to attend, a sound criminal justice system, an admirable lack of corruption coupled with a laudable attitude of tolerance and decency, all inspired by the good old CofE and what are we doing with it now? Zilch.

Letting ourselves be battered and buffeted by every stupid fad or fancy that comes along; so wishy-washy liberal that we stand up for nothing; we read ridiculous newspaper headlines such as Four year olds to choose their gender or Three men in Britain expecting babies and we nod sagely and say ‘oh really’ instead of jumping up and down and yelling ‘That is bloody rubbish.’

Now for the latest pathetic, shame making report. Somewhere, in the UK, a diocese has told its Vicars not to wear their dog collars for fear of assault. It may be Mirror speak and more rubbish, but it might be true. If it is true why hasn’t the relevant Bishop come out fighting or at least issued a grovelling apology for craven panic? Why aren’t the local congregations screaming – Enough!

What next. Well, for a start people like me will have to give up wearing a small gold cross, (I’ve had mine since confirmation more than 60 years ago), for fear of giving offence or asking for trouble. At the start of the football season those players who habitually cross themselves as they run onto the pitch will have to be kept on the bench for their own safety. Oh, no. They’ll be all right because they must be Roman Catholics and it’s mainly Anglicans who have turned into a lily livered bunch who wouldn’t say boo to a goose.

In my last blog I pictured the scene if we all (the precious few pew sitters left) took to the streets to talk about the good news in the New Testament. I’ve fantasised still further since I wrote that. The clergy in their best robes – a ‘uniform’ they should be proud to wear; choirs, servers, sacristans in white robes looking like angels; the congregations dressed as though for a wedding or the races with ridiculous heels and fascinators galore.

By preaching the peace we will have massively breached the peace. So then what. Anyone prepared to join me on the barricades?